Bread Machine recommendations?

[momerlyn]

I am on my second bread machine. The first, Welbilt, was great, but eventually died. The second, Toastmaster, was good until it decided that every other loaf should come out so large that it spills over.

I give up. I want to be able to bake a large loaf without having to clean up around it each time.

So who else uses them and which ones do you recommend?

 

[PieSusan]

I don't. I hate mine. I think it is much easier to just make a bread in my oven. The overflows and the clean up is just not worth it. I am sorry I asked for one.

 

[Maverick2272]

I use mine to mix and 1st rise, that's it. It is a Hitachi and works fine for that. I like to let it do the kneading for me and then let it rise, but then I transfer to whichever loaf pan I want to use and finish in the oven. The transfer to the loaf pan 'knocks' it down for me, then I let it sit in the pan and rise again before putting it in the oven.

 

[JoeV]

Did not like mine because it made bread with crust that was way to thick, even on the lightest setting. I now use a KitchenAid stand mixer and am pleased with the results I get from it. If you need a machine because you're not home to make bread, then that's fine. But for my money, I'll keep on using a stand mixer, and occasionally make bread by hand. It's very therapeutic for me.

 

[jet]

I have a Cuisinart and it works great. The only thing that I don't like is that it makes horizontal loaves. That means that different size loaves give different size slices (i.e. height).

 

[mcnerd]

My favorite is a Breadman that makes the horizontal loaf (preferred). I've had two machines in the past, Welbilt's, that died of old age.

 

[sattie]

My favorite is a Breadman that makes the horizontal loaf (preferred). I've had two machines in the past, Welbilt's, that died of old age.

I just got a Breadman.... only made two loaves, so I can't say a whole bunch on how well it works. Out of the two loaves, the first one was great, the second one I did not like, but that may have more to do with the recipe than the machine.

 

[Katie H]

My only experience is with Welbilt. I still have my original one I bought 10 years ago. I have a second Welbilt I "stole" at a thrift store for $2. I use them both all the time, very often both at the same time. I had a third Welbilt I got at another thrift store for $3 and gave to one of our sons.

Because I have arthritis and carpal tunnel in my right hand, kneading is difficult and painful, so I only use the machine like Mav does...just the kneading and first rise. I don't even know what kind of bread my machine makes on its own.

 

[PieSusan]

Did not like mine because it made bread with crust that was way to thick, even on the lightest setting. I now use a KitchenAid stand mixer and am pleased with the results I get from it. If you need a machine because you're not home to make bread, then that's fine. But for my money, I'll keep on using a stand mixer, and occasionally make bread by hand. It's very therapeutic for me.

I am with you. I think using my kitchenaid or making bread by hand, using an oven and breadstone--I think you get a much better quality loaf of bread.

However, if you lack time, or have a disability, I can understand the convenience of having a bread machine. First bread I made, exploded in the machine and I had a mess to clean up that was almost impossible to do. Perhaps that is why I hate the doggone thing so much.

 

[Fisher's Mom]

Like Katie, I use my 2 bread machines just for making the dough. One is a Breadman and the other is a WestBend and they both make dough just fine. If I'm making a lot of dough, I use my Kitchen Aid like PieSusan does. Less clean up and I let the dough rise in the mixing bowl. As far as baking bread in a bread machine, my results have been very inconsistent so I always bake in the oven. (I can't blame the breadmaker, though, because most of my results in the kitchen are inconsistent.)